Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.3: the complete guide to AutoDrive, Delamain Rider and free-roam driving in Night City

Cyberpunk 2077's patch 2.3 has quietly reshuffled the Night City experience. Released in summer 2025 by CD Projekt Red, it adds a completely new layer of life to the megacity: the car no longer just serves to get from one point to another, it becomes a rolling lounge. Thanks to AutoDrive, V can now let go of the wheel, turn on a radio and watch the neon lights of Watson roll by while the onboard system handles the dense traffic of the megalopolis. The Delamain Rider service, meanwhile, resurrects the legendary fleet of black and white taxis in a completely new form. This guide covers all the driving news from patch 2.3, how to unlock them, how to optimize them and how to get the most enjoyment out of them in 2026, whether you're a chill Netrunner or a solo in a hurry.

Patch 2.3: why this update changes everything for driving

Since patch 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, driving in Cyberpunk 2077 has improved enormously: reworked police AI, dynamic chases, improved damage, much more believable handling. Patch 2.3 pushes the logic further by tackling a longstanding flaw in the game: the journey is sometimes longer than the mission itself. CDPR's solution isn't to shorten Night City, it's to make the journey itself interesting. AutoDrive turns every trip into a cinematic pause where you can finally admire the Polish studio's art direction work. And the Delamain Rider adds a layer of living character behind the driver's seat, with each taxi having its own reactions and its own lines. The result: driving goes from a repetitive chore to a genuine experience.

How to unlock AutoDrive in patch 2.3

Good news: AutoDrive isn't locked behind a lengthy mission or a high level. It activates as soon as patch 2.3 is installed, provided you've finished the prologue and own a personal vehicle. Here's how to do it:

1. Get into any vehicle belonging to V, car or motorcycle.
2. Open the Night City map from the main menu.
3. Place a route marker or choose an existing point of interest.
4. Close the map, then hold down the dedicated button (by default, the same as cruise control) to engage AutoDrive.
5. Freely switch to first-person view, exterior view, or switch to photo mode without risking a silly crash.

Note: AutoDrive only works on open roads. It automatically switches off during car chases, inside the Dogtown tunnels if you've triggered a Barghest skirmish, or when a scripted event takes over. In short, it's a polished "cruise" mode, not a military-grade pilot ready for anything.

The two AutoDrive modes: Chill and Rush

One of the smartest additions in patch 2.3 is offering two driving temperaments instead of a single monotonous style. You can switch on the fly:

• Chill Mode — the vehicle respects traffic lights, right of way, and drives at a moderate speed. Perfect for listening to a radio show, taking in the megacity, or capturing screenshots in photo mode.
• Rush Mode — the onboard AI takes shortcuts, runs red lights and weaves through traffic. Ideal when a contract expires in four minutes and you're still in Pacifica.

Quick tip: Rush mode significantly increases the risk of catching the attention of the NCPD if you run into a corporate patrol. Switch to Chill as soon as you spot a uniform in the rearview mirror, or you'll end up fleeing with two stars.

Delamain Rider: the taxi fleet makes its big comeback

Fans of the Epiphany mission and the thirty-odd crazy Delamains that had to be brought back home, rejoice: patch 2.3 brings the whole family back in a useful form. The Delamain Rider is a premium chauffeur service accessible directly from your phone. Call a taxi, pick your destination, pick your voice, and let yourself be driven.

Each Delamain has a sharply defined personality. Some are sarcastic, others philosophical, others downright aggressive behind the wheel. The dialogue changes depending on the time of day, the area you're driving through, and your conversation choices. It's a genuine narrative playground, with dozens of unique lines per personality. The service costs a few hundred eurodollars per trip, a trivial amount at this stage of the adventure, even more so after end-game farming.

To call a Delamain: open the phone menu, select the Delamain contact, choose Order a ride, set the destination on the map (any district, including Dogtown), select the driver's personality, then wait for the taxi to arrive at your location and hop in the back. During the ride, strike up a conversation via a dialogue choice system. These exchanges feed into a small ongoing narrative quest, with revelations in store if you keep using the service. It's one of the rare systems in the game where being a passenger is more rewarding than being a driver.

The new vehicles in patch 2.3 you should know about

CDPR is using patch 2.3 to slip several new models into AutoFixer's catalog. Sellers are scattered across every corner of Night City: Rogue at the Afterlife, El Capitán in Santo Domingo, and new contacts introduced by the update. Here are the categories to watch out for:

• Sport bikes — two new, highly nimble Yaiba models, perfect for weaving through the traffic jams of Little China.
• Nomad cars — a buggy built for the Badlands, with suspension designed for rocky desert terrain and dunes.
• Corpo sedans — a new Rayfield with reinforced armor, ideal for surviving a Maelstrom ambush in the dead of night.
• Exotic hypercar — a collector's model unlocked via a side quest in Dogtown, reserved for players who are already well advanced.

All of these vehicles are compatible with AutoDrive and can be summoned on demand via the built-in CrystalDome.

Enhanced photo mode and sound design

AutoDrive and photo mode form a natural pairing. Patch 2.3 takes the opportunity to enhance the latter with several new settings: new V poses (eating, smoking, meditation stance), new "neo-noir" and "sun-bleached" filters, advanced depth of field control, the ability to freeze NPCs around V even during an AutoDrive trip, and files exported in 4K by default on compatible PCs. The combination of AutoDrive Chill and photo mode is particularly satisfying on the elevated highway that runs along Watson at sunset: volumetric fog rendering, low-angle light on the Arasaka skyscrapers, heavy traffic. A true postcard shot.

On the audio side, patch 2.3 adds two new radio stations to accompany your AutoDrive trips. The studio has signed deals with several independent labels and now offers spoken segments between tracks. Among other things, there's a host who comments on fictional Night City news: recent gigs, missing fixers, corpo gossip. A delightful detail: several tracks trigger depending on the situation. If your NCPD wanted level rises, the playlist shifts to more intense tracks. If you're driving through the Badlands at dawn, a country station automatically kicks in. Really excellent atmosphere work.

Free perk reset: rebuild your build to make the most of your trips

Patch 2.3 also brings a free reset of perks and attributes for all existing characters. This reset is offered only once per save file, so it needs to be planned carefully. Since AutoDrive frees up playtime once spent on the road, it's worth rethinking your build in depth. Three interesting approaches:

• Mobile Netrunner — take advantage of trips to remotely pilot enemy drones with the advanced quickhacks of the Erebus cyberdeck or the NetWatch Netdriver Mk.5.
• Sandevistan tourist — trigger the Sandevistan Mk.5 right before stepping out of a Delamain Rider to arrive at a fixer meeting like a rockstar.
• Kerenzikov photographer — Kerenzikov's slow motion combined with photo mode allows for unique aerial shots during jumps off the top of bridges.

AutoDrive and gigs: optimizing your fixer runs

Night City and Dogtown fixers love long-distance contracts. Thanks to patch 2.3, you can now stack gigs along the same route and let AutoDrive handle the travel. Tip: open the map, select three or four geographically aligned gigs, set the farthest one as your AutoDrive destination, then disable auto mode as soon as you approach an intermediate gig. You'll rack up eurodollars without ever touching the wheel for a full hour. Meanwhile, the radio provides ambiance and the scenery rolls by, making farming far less mechanical than before. The cherry on top: passive travel time still counts toward cyberware timer progression (stamina bonus, shield regeneration), giving a slight strategic edge to those who make heavy use of Chill mode.

Pitfalls to avoid and favorite routes

A few pitfalls to be aware of before fully letting go of the wheel:

• Active conflict zones — AutoDrive cuts out abruptly if you enter an area controlled by a gang war. Stay alert near Pacifica and certain corners of Watson.
• Timed missions — Chill mode is too slow for some contracts. Use Rush or switch back to manual.
• NCPD chases — from the first star onward, AutoDrive shuts off. Don't count on it to get you out of trouble elegantly.
• Off-road terrain — AutoDrive works on mapped roads. Deep in the Badlands, you're better off driving yourself.

To experience the update under the best conditions, here are four routes worth taking:

1. Little China to Rocher del Coronado — a crossing of downtown from west to east, with a view of Corpo Plaza at sunset.
2. Afterlife to Panam Palmer's camp — leaving the city via the northern highway, transitioning between neon lights and the Badlands desert.
3. Kabuki to Dogtown (Barghest checkpoint) — for the tension at the entrance to the Kurt Hansen zone and the highly detailed sound design.
4. Japantown to the Pacifica observatory — heading south, passing through the elevated highway with a sweeping view over the ocean.

Conclusion: Night City like you've never experienced it

Patch 2.3 doesn't add a new map or a new campaign, but it profoundly transforms the way you experience Night City on a daily basis. AutoDrive and the Delamain Rider are exactly the kind of polish we've been waiting for since 2020: two systems that are consistent with the universe, technically solid, and above all perfectly designed to extend the pleasure of exploration. If you'd shelved Cyberpunk 2077 after patch 2.2, now is the perfect time to reload your save, reset your perks, call a Delamain, put the controller on your lap, and let the megacity scroll by before your eyes. Safe travels, choom.